I seem to write a lot lately about spyware...well, at least I think I do. Being aware of this, I had planned to "take a vacation" from spyware stories for a little while and focus on other things...but I came across a few articles from respected sources that forced me to change my mind.
These articles talked about how some spyware programs are worse than worthless...they can actually put more spyware on your computer and take over your home page. But, on the good side, most of these stories pointed out that one particular software, called "CounterSpy," from Sunbelt Software, Inc. is absolutely terrific in sniffing out and destroying spyware.
Let's talk for one paragraph about the worst of the worst spyware detection software. There is a web site run by a security researcher named Eric Howes that maintains a list of rogue and suspect spyware detection software that are exceedingly bad investments for anyone wanting to keep their computers free of spyware. Not only that, some of them are not spyware detectors at all. Here is that website. You should take a look at it and hope you never invested any money in these programs.
Now for Counterspy. After reading the rave reviews about this product, I decided to download a 15 day test trial and compare it against my other two favorite spyware detectors: Spybot Search and Destroy...and Microsoft's AntiSpyware Software.
As you may remember from previous blogs, I used Spybot for some time and was very happy with it. Later, I downloaded the new Microsoft AntiSpyware and ran it head-to-head against Spybot. I was more than surprised when AntiSpyware found several more spyware products on my computer. So for the last several weeks, I have been using Microsoft as my main spyware detector and remover.
When I started reading about CounterSpy, I realized I wanted to do another head-to-head. So I downloaded it and prepared it for use. I decided the best method was to test Counterspy last. I should mention that I decided to use my laptop as the guinea pig since my new computer is still too new. I first scanned with Spypot, after downloading the latest updates. It found no new spyware.
Then I did the same thing with Microsoft AntiSpyware. First, I did an update to make sure I had the latest definitions. For test purposes, I used the "deep scan" option that took nearly 30 minutes. I wanted to do a thorough check. It found one new spyware on my computer since my last scan five days ago. So, once again, Microsoft AntiSpyware appeared to do slightly better than Spybot.
Then came the shocker. I ran CounterSpy for the first time. For the fun of it, I just ran the basic scan, not a deep one. It found, if you can believe this, 64 previously undetected spyware products infecting my computer. The software listed each one, its degree of danger, and an in-depth explanation of each one. Several were listed as very dangerous. I, of course, removed all of them.
I read that this product was good, but I didn't realize how good...or conversly, that all the other products on the market aren't doing a good enough job. Finding out that my computer was nowhere near as safe as I thought it was is a real shocker. I think I now must spend the $20 to buy CounterSpy (good for one year) to protect my computer.
I also think its high time that our government does something about this mass invasion of our privacy. I don't think it is right for anyone to put something on someone else's computer without their permission. And I don't think that hiding permission statements in mile long legal disclosures that no one reads constitutes permission.
I hope that some of you will download the free trial of CounterSpy and post your results. Remember, if you get this blog via e-mail, and if you use the "reply," everyone else will see your results, which I think would be most interesting for all of us.
If you are reading this blog on the web, just reply to the story.
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